Storm Warning
by Rei Firestar
Summary: Rei and Usagi get caught in a storm...and we all know Usagi hates storms...~*shoujo-ai*~


Allo minna! Another Rei/Usagi fic for the shojo-loving masses ^^ I'm glad I got it finished before I left for military camp. I hope you guys enjoy it!  
  
Author's note: I know Usagi is afraid of thunder, but I made her ultimately afraid of storms in general. It suited my purposes better. Besides, it's not /that/ big a difference. ^^°  
  
Disclaimer: If I owned Sailor Moon, Tuxedo Mask would renounce his feelings for Usagi and she would be with Rei for eternity. Do you see that anywhere in the manga or anime?  
  
Storm Warning  
  
By: Rei_Firestar  
  
Rei quickly tied together her robe and stormed down the hall. Wet hair jutted out at random places from the large damp towel she was balancing on her head. The shrill ring of the telephone echoed again through the empty halls of the Hikawa Jinja.  
  
"Blah!" she screamed. "Whoever that is had better have something important to say for ruining my bath like this!" She sighed and cleared her throat before picking up the phone. "Hello, Hikawa Jinja, Hino Rei speaking."  
  
"Rei? It's Usagi. Did I catch you at a bad time?  
  
"Ah, no, that's okay, Usagi." Rei leaned back against the wall. "What's up?"  
  
"Not too much, really. Um..." she hesitated.  
  
"Something wrong?" Rei asked.  
  
"Oh no, nothing like that. I was just wondering..."  
  
"Yes?"  
  
"With your grandfather out of town and all, and Yuuichiru on vacation, would it be okay if I came over tonight?"  
  
Rei blinked. "Sure you can, but I thought your parents were gone to Yokohama to see your aunt?"  
  
"They are. You don't have to worry about Shingo or anything, he's staying the night at a friend's house."  
  
"That wasn't really what I meant...well I see no harm in your coming over."  
  
Usagi let out an excited squeal that made Rei wince from the sudden pain in her ear. "Yay, thank you Rei!"  
  
She chuckled. "Anytime. When will you be here? The sun's already starting to set."  
  
"I know. I'll leave in a few minutes."  
  
"All right. See you in a bit."  
  
"'Kay! Bye!"  
  
A click finalized the conversation and Rei was left with a dial-tone. She sighed a little and set the phone back on its cradle. She looked down at her dripping wet, barely dressed self and groaned.  
  
"Perfect."  
  
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~  
  
Twenty minutes later Rei was standing outside beneath an overhang watching the rain fall around her. Shortly after Usagi had called the bottem had fallen out, so to speak, and it started pouring. She looked off in the distance and saw a nasty set of clouds coming her way.  
  
Usagi sprang to her mind and Rei lost herself in thought. She had been in love with Usagi for quite some time. Whether or not Usagi knew or not Rei had no idea, but she didn't feel that it was necessary for her to reveal herself to her friend if she didn't. Usagi was destined to be with Mamoru. She loved him. Who was Rei to interfere with that? Maybe she'd tell her one day, but for the time being she was content to just seeing Usagi's smiling face everyday and hearing her lovely voice call her name.  
  
"Rei!"  
  
She blinked and saw Usagi rushing toward her. The blonde stopped to catch her breath once she was out of the rain. Rei slid the girl's parka off for her. "It's really coming down, huh?"  
  
"Yeah, and it's supposed to get worse."  
  
Rei opened the door for her friend then closed it again behind them, placing Usagi's dripping jacket on a coatrack. "Is that why you wanted to come over?" Rei asked. "So you wouldn't be home alone during the storm?" When Usagi looked at the floor and twisted one of her damp ponytails between her fingers, Rei laughed. "I don't mind, Usagi."  
  
"I'm sorry, Rei, I just-"  
  
The miko held her hand up to silence her friend. "Really, Usagi, it's okay. I'm glad to have you here," she said with a smile.  
  
Usagi smiled back. "Great!"  
  
Rei chuckled. "Come on, let's go to my room and see if we can find a movie on cable."  
  
The two of them headed back to Rei's room and sat together on the floor. The rain got gradually heavier outside, beating like a demented drummer against Rei's window. (She briefly remembered a similar incident with thunder and repressed a shudder.) The harder it fell the more she had to turn up the volume on her television until the girls were straining to hear it at maximum level.  
  
Usagi had leaned her head on Rei's shoulder and appeared about ready to fall asleep despite the racket outside when a loud, shrill beeping noise came from the television, stirring her awake. "What is it, Rei?"  
  
Rei shrugged. "I don't know, maybe it's-oh look, there's a PSA." She paused to watch the announcement scroll across the lower portion of the screen. "Looks like a storm warning. Here, let me flip over and look at the weather."  
  
Usagi nodded and Rei switched channels. A radar popped up, showing a series of bad storms headed their way. Usagi wimpered.  
  
"Don't worry, Usagi. It'll be fine." A loud crack of thunder caused the blonde to scream. Rei groaned inwardly. The real storm hadn't even gotten there yet and Usagi was already screaming. "It'll be fine," Rei repeated. She turned it back to the show they had been watching. "Come on, just concentrate on the show and you'll forget all about it."  
  
As much as she tried, the storm outside continued to hold Usagi's attention. She yelped every time it thundered, which was becoming more and more frequent. She started shivering from the fear. Rei grabbed a blanket and wrapped it around them, smiling softly. Usagi smiled back, but was still shivering.  
  
Another loud crack of thunder sounded and the girls were surrounded in darkness. Usagi screamed almost hysterically. Rei reached out to her and grabbed her by the arm.  
  
"Usagi, Usagi, calm down. It's okay."  
  
Usagi clung to Rei tightly and sobbed as more booming thunder echoed around them. Rei wrapped her arms around the crying girl and held her close, gently stroking her hair and whispering quietly to her. This continued until Usagi finally calmed down her crying. Once she was sure Usagi was all right Rei wrapped the blanket more tightly around the girl.  
  
"I'll be right back, okay?"  
  
"W-where are you going?" Usagi asked fearfully.  
  
Rei smiled, though Usagi couldn't see it in the dark. "I'm going to go get a candle."  
  
"But you can't see."  
  
Rei stood up. "Mars star power, make up!" There was a brief flash as Rei transformed, casting the room in a crimson glow for an all too brief second. Sailor Mars then held out her palm. "Fireball!" A small fireball sat balanced above Mars's hand, acting as a flashlight of sorts. The flame cast a soft light on Mars's face, allowing Usagi to catch her gentle gaze and return it with a smile.  
  
"I'll be back in a flash, okay?"  
  
Usagi nodded and watched Mars leave. She stared out the door long after, still being able to see the light from the fireball flickering down the hallway giving her a little comfort. Lightning outside illuminated the whole room for a split second before a stentorian rumble of thunder caused Usagi to wail. She distantly heard Rei say that she was coming but it did little to calm her. More thunder sent her into another fit of screams and she buried her face in her blanket.  
  
Usagi felt instantly better when she felt a pair of arms wrap around her. She looked up and locked eyes with Rei, a candle sitting nearby on the table allowing her to finally see her. Rei smiled softly down at her and brushed a strand of hair away from Usagi's face. "You okay?" she asked softly.  
  
Usagi choked on a sob but nodded regardless. Rei's smile widened a little but her eyes still showed concern. Usagi smiled faintly back to show she was being truthful but still shuddered as the thunder continued to sound around them.  
  
"Rei?" Usagi asked almost in a whisper.  
  
"Hmm?" When Usagi hesitated Rei reached out and touched her cheek lightly. "It's okay, Usagi, really."  
  
"No, no, it's not that...well...I guess it kinda /is/ that, but...It's stupid, nevermind."  
  
"No, go ahead, say it."  
  
"I was just...wondering..."  
  
Usagi trailed off. Rei chuckled and tickled her sides, causing the blonde to yip and squirm. She accidently ended up knocking Rei along the jaw with her flailing, but hearing her laugh and seeing her smile rather than cowering with tears of fear in her eyes was well worth it in the miko's opinion.  
  
The brief respite from the storm ended violently when a crack of thunder tore through the comfort between them. Usagi resumed her position back beneath her blanket while Rei merely sighed and stared up at the ceiling.  
  
'Can it get any worse?'  
  
A sudden crack and shatter caused both of the girls to jump. Usagi stuck her head out from beneath the blanket. "What was that!?" she demanded.  
  
There was a loud, consistant whining sound from another part of the temple. Rei got to her feet upon hearing it. "I'm not sure, but I have a good idea. Oh, I hope I'm not right." She turned and hurried out of the room. Usagi contemplated following her, but her desicion was made rather quickly with an emphatic rumble of thunder. She squeaked out a "Wait!" and chased after her, pausing just long enough to snatch the candle and bring it with her.  
  
Rei followed the noise to a spare bedroom that doubled over as a study. She could hear pittering against the shoji screen door from the other side. She flung the door back only to be pelted with rain. She yelped despite having expected it. She looked to the window to confirm her suspition. A large tree branch had slammed through, leaving most of the window on the floor in shards. The whining she had heard was the wind as it screamed in through the opening the branch had made.  
  
Rei swore and held a hand up to shield her eyes from the rain. Behind her she heard Usagi cry out and she turned to look at her over her shoulder. "Usagi, quick! Go get some towels out of the closet!"  
  
Usagi nodded and hurried off, the light from her candle being drowned out by the lightning storm that was kicking up outside. Cautiously Rei approached the window and tried to force the branch back out. The rain made it hard to get a good grip, and the wind was constantly blowing Rei's hair in her face, blinding her. A particularly close-striking lightning bolt forced the miko away from the window. She cried out as she stepped on a piece of the broken glass scattered about the floor.  
  
"Rei!" Usagi said as she rushed back up to the doorwar. "I've got towels!"  
  
Rei took one last glance at the branch protruding through her wall then limped out of the room and closed the door behind her. "Line the bottom of the door with them. I couldn't get the branch to go back out, so the rain's still coming in. At least this way we can keep most of the temple dry."  
  
With a nod of approval from Usagi the two girls packed the area around the outside of the door with the towels. Usagi hadn't found many, but they made do with what they had. When they were done they climbed to their feet, Rei wincing in pain. Usagi noticed and cocked her head slightly.  
  
"Rei? What's wrong?"  
  
She grunted. "I cut my foot back there, that's all."  
  
Usagi's eyes widened just a little. "Are you okay? Is it bleeding? Let me see."  
  
"It's fine, Usagi, really."  
  
"Let me see, I said," she proclaimed, stamping her foot a little.  
  
Rei rolled her eyes and with a frustrated "blah" picked up the foot she had injured and showed it to Usagi. When Rei saw it she winced a little at the sight. It had stung pretty badly, true, but she must have had been so preoccupied that she failed to realize that the glass was still imbedded in her skin.  
  
"Jeez, Rei, hurt a little? Come on, let's get back to your room."  
  
Rei's heart fluttered a little when Usagi wrapped her arm around her waist and pulled her close, even if it was just to support her so she could walk down the hall. She mentally chastised herself for her timing, but it didn't change the fact that she liked their close proximity.  
  
Usagi brought her wounded friend into her room and set her down on the floor. She didn't put her on the bed due to the window above it. There were no trees nearby but she was paranoid now.  
  
"Hang on, let me get the first-aid kit. Still under the bathroom sink, right?"  
  
"Usagi, it's not-"  
  
"Okay, thanks!"  
  
Usagi scampered off down the hall. Rei rolled her eyes in her general direction. When Usagi put her mind to something, she did it. She returned a moment later and sat at Rei's feet, the kit in one hand and a damp wash-rag in the other. She took a nearby pillow and propped up the miko's injured foot then began to rummage around inside the first-aid kit.  
  
"Uh, where's the candle?" Rei asked, desperate for something that could stall her blonde friend. She knew this wasn't going to be a painless experience.  
  
"It got wet during the whole tree branch incident there," she said, never looking up from the kit. "I just left it in the bathroom. Ah ha!" She pulled out a pair of tweezers and held them up triumphantly. Rei gulped.  
  
"Can you even see well enough to do anything?"  
  
"Yeah. My eyes have adjusted to the dark and there's enough lightning out to make a mole see clearly. You don't need to worry."  
  
Rei blinked at part of what Usagi had said. She was right about the lightning, it was almost constant now due to the lightning storm. However, Usagi appeared unaffected by it now, including the thunder that accompanied it. Before Rei could question it though she saw the tweezers going toward her foot and squeaked.  
  
"Usagi, are you sure that's absolutely ne-OWWW!" Rei's entire body spasmed as Usagi quickly and effeciently took the glass between the tweezers and yanked it out with a single mighty tug. When she went to take hold of her injured foot, Usagi simply lay a hand over her ankle.  
  
"Hang on, let me bandage it first."  
  
"Jeez, Usagi! Thanks for the warning!" Rei screamed, seething in anger over the pain she felt.  
  
"You saw it coming," Usagi said with a shrug as she began to wipe at the cut with the wet rag. Rei winced. When Usagi pulled out the alcohol Rei was wincing long before it ever touched her skin. When it did, she cried out and yanked her foot away.  
  
"Leave it alone!"  
  
"Oh Rei, quit being such a baby and give it here."  
  
Rei sighed and set her foot back within Usagi's reach, muttering that she wasn't a baby under her breath. Usagi smiled as she wrapped some gauze around the cut. "Yes you are, don't argue."  
  
Rei crossed her arms and turned her nose up. "Hmph."  
  
Usagi merely smiled more and absently began rubbing her hand along Rei's leg just above her ankle. Rei blinked and looked at her with a little confusion, though was not about to complain. Their eyes met and time itself seemed to slow down. An intimacy formed between their gazes, one that Rei had never experienced before. Rei drew her legs under her and began to lean forward, Usagi doing the same.  
  
"Usagi," Rei whispered, "I..."  
  
A loud BANG! was heard as a trashcan was suddenly thrown into Rei's window by the whirlwind outside, succeeding in placing a series of spiderweb cracks exploding out from its point of impact. The noise caused Usagi to scream and fly forward to cling to Rei. An enormous crack of thunder followed, sending the blonde into another screaming fit. It appeared that all that time Usagi wasted not being afraid of the storm while Rei was hurt was back with a vengence.  
  
"Shh, Usagi, it's okay," Rei shushed her, wrapping her arms around the girl and pulling her close.  
  
"No it's not!" Usagi wailed.  
  
"But you were doing just fine. What happened?"  
  
Usagi sniffled. "I don't know, I guess I just forgot that it was storming."  
  
Rei smiled a little. "Were you that worried about me? Over a tiny cut?" she asked, tucking a lock of hair behind Usagi's ear.  
  
The blonde nodded. "Yeah, I...I guess I was."  
  
Rei's heart was soaring. She knew she was getting her hopes up but she didn't care. There was a flutter in her heart, there because Usagi had cared enough about her to forget one of her biggest fears, not to mention the girl was so close that her shampoo was beginning to induce a state of euphoria on the miko. Another rumble of thunder caused Usagi to pull herself closer. Tightening her grip, Rei gave herself a mental nod. It was time.  
  
"Usagi, I...you...know you, don't have to be afraid of this storm."  
  
Usagi brought her head up from where it rested against Rei's shoulder to lock eyes with her again.  
  
"You don't have to be afraid, because...," she paused a little to brace herself, "because I love you, and I will protect you from everything." She smiled. "Storms included."  
  
Usagi blinked a few times, as if trying to register correctly what Rei has said. She then smiled softly. "Rei...I love you too."  
  
Rei sighed, obviously relieved, and smiled down at the girl in her arms. Usagi smiled back then leaned up and pressed her lips to the miko's in a soft kiss which Rei returned lovingly. During that kiss, everything around them seemed to disappear. There was no storm outside, there was no gay-shunning society, and there was no cruel Fate keeping the two girls from being together. Right then, the universe was their's.  
  
Slowly the girls parted, breathing a little heavier than normal. Usagi neither screamed nor jumped as the resonant thunder outside again set in her ears but simply rested her head on Rei's shoulder and let the priestess hold her.  
  
"Rei?"  
  
"Hmm?"  
  
"Remember earlier, when there was something I wanted to ask you?"  
  
She nodded. Usagi paused.  
  
"Would you...sing to me?"  
  
Rei blinked, then smiled and nodded, hugging her princess close. She took a brief moment to decide on a song then cleared her throat. After humming the first few bars of the song, Rei began to sing.  
  
She hadn't even finished the first verse before Usagi started relaxing into her. Before the chorus came along, Usagi was asleep. Rei reached up and pet the girl's hair softly, continuing the song in a soft hum. She leaned her head against Usagi's and closed her eyes, sighing happily.  
  
Somewhere in the back of her mind Rei knew that the branch in the study wasn't going to remove itself, and the two windows that were broken were going to need fixing. She knew that there would be all sorts of problems if she and Usagi were going to stay together concerning Chibi-Usa and Crystal Tokyo, and that it may be deemed fit that they not stay together at all. However, at that moment, Rei didn't care. She was cuddled up to the one person she loved more than anything else in the world and was so comfortable that she felt as though she could nod off at any moment.  
  
Besides, that rain on her window was beginning to make her sleepy.  
  
~*The End*~  
  
It's finished! The ending sucked, but I didn't have the time for a big, good one. Wish me luck at SLS everyone, and thanks for reading my fic! I hope you enjoyed it! Ja ne and God Bless! 


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